


Unconventional Tactics

by FierySucculent



Category: Villainous (Cartoon)
Genre: Awkward flirting disguised as banter because they're both idiots, Fluff, Laser Tag, M/M, Villains Having Fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-01 00:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13283382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FierySucculent/pseuds/FierySucculent
Summary: A game of laser tag with a twist. The twist being that they're villains and Black Hat tries to make it more exciting for all of them.





	Unconventional Tactics

**Author's Note:**

> I have never played laser tag and only heard about it a few days before starting to write this, so... enjoy.

It was Demencia's idea. Well, kind of. She was bothering him for a week to get out of the manor and do something fun. Flug always replied that he had too much stuff to do and she seemed to have given up after getting the same response over and over. For a time she left him alone and Flug made the great mistake of believing that that's it. 

He was, of course, wrong. 

The fact was made apparent to him when his door was kicked open at 3:03 a.m. and something heavy landed on his legs. Flug groaned at the unwelcome weight and winced when he heard his joints crack.

"You're like an old man," Demencia commented absently while examining her nails, "you better hope you're in my team or else you'll lose." She finally looked at him and the light from the hallway lit the room enough for Flug to notice her sharp-toothed smile. On a scale from a normal smile to a Black Hat smile, he would classify it as being somewhere in the higher half. 

"Dem-," he interrupted himself with a yawn, "Demencia. What are you talking about?" his voice was hushed and he slurred the words slightly. Demencia paid it no mind, giggling when he tried to rub at his eyes, only to discover he still had his goggles on. 'Ah well, I suppose that's better than the alternative,' he reassured his tired brain.

"We're going out, doc. Get dressed," she said and jumped off the bed, making Flug wince again as she pressed on his knees to push herself up.

"Y-yeah, I don't think s-so," he said pulling his covers over himself, "I doubt that boss will take 'the lizard girl didn't let me sleep' as a valid excuse for me falling asleep during work hours tomorrow, so if you could." And with that he waved his hand in the direction of the door, signalling that she was to leave him alone and let him sleep.

Demencia raised her brows at that, looking unimpressed, but her smirk quickly returned when she turned towards the door. 

"Sure thing, doc, I'll tell boss that you don't like his idea an-," she didn't even finish her sentence before hearing a satisfactory _thump_ as Flug fell to the floor, no doubt while desperately trying to get out of the cocoon he made for himself. 

"No, wait! I'll be re-"

"Too late~!" and with that she was gone. Flug looked at his still outstretched hand that tried to stop her and cursed. 'No time to waste,' he thought as he quickly reached for his jeans and promptly fell on the floor again after failing to balance himself on one leg. The rest of the dress up went rather smoothly and he reached for his lab coat, putting it on while running out of his room. He heard Demencia's laugh coming from the living room and he burst through the door, making 5.0.5. jump while Black Hat and Demencia exchanged a look of amusement. 

"S-sir, I-," he panted, "I think you have-," his mouth couldn't catch up with his brain and he gasped for breath before finishing, "I think it's an amazing idea." Black Hat still had a mildly amused expression and he raised his brow at the scientist's words. Then, he turned to Demencia.

"You were right, he really _does_ want that break," Demencia only snickered at Black Hat's words and the demon turned to the scientist once more, "Didn't know you're such a fan of laser tag, doctor." 

Flug felt lost. 'Are we going to play laser tag? Scratch that, Black Hat knows what's laser tag?! Is he going with them? Why would he want to?' these were all legitimate questions that Flug wouldn't dare voice. There were some things that you needed to just accept in life, and the doctor learnt a long time ago that it was even more relevant when it came to his boss. 

"I, uh... What?" he finally managed not trying to hide his confusion. He glared at Demencia, "I didn't know either, sir." 

"Oh well! We better get going then, if we want to be there before they open!" Demencia exclaimed, jumping off the table she was perched on and heading for the door, the others following close behind. 

~0~ 

Flug was still trying to wrap his brain around the idea of a casual game of laser tag with... well, playing with any of them was quite baffling to him, if he were honest.

Flug wasn't sure if bringing 5.0.5. along for the trip had been a good idea. As a matter of fact, he doubted if the whole trip was a good idea, it was bound to end in a disaster! That's how his luck and Demencia's dedication to making his life worse worked! Then again, it's not like anyone asked or cared for his opinion, no they were all set on playing that stupid game. '5.0.5.'s an actual, sentient bear, for crying out loud!' he dragged his hand across his masked face, 'and Demencia would probably find it funny to bring a real laser gun from the lab and try to shoot his head off!' At that thought, Flug made a mental note to avoid her at all costs while in the arena. 

Then there was Black Hat. Flug couldn't figure out why the demon would even want to go with them. 'Maybe he wants to shoot us without the threat of physical consequences?' he thought and immediately scoffed at himself. 'If he wanted to shoot us, he would. It's not like we're irreplaceable,' he subconsciously ventured into the territory of self-loathing, interrupted only when Demencia made an abrupt stop. Flug, too lost in thought to notice, walked into 5.0.5., and though his fur was incredibly soft, the doctor decided that he'll give the bear a bath after they come back. 

"We're here," Demencia said and it only now occurred to Flug that the mall, and subsequently the arena, will be closed at this time. He was about to point it out, when Black Hat melted the lock with his heat vision. Flug jumped slightly at the unexpected action and looked at his boss with a stupefied expression, thankful that his bag hid it from view. 

"Are... are we r-really breaking in to play some laser tag?" he asked before he could stop himself. Black Hat looked to him with a smile.

"Why, _doctor_ , we are villains, after all. It doesn't hurt to do something evil once in a while." He motioned for Flug to go first, while Demencia chose to climb the wall instead. He saw her form blend in with her surroundings. 

"But, _sir_ , we sell weapons to the black market. Daily. Isn't that slightly more villainous?" Flug didn't know where this sudden need for banter with Black Hat came from, but his boss seemed to be in a good mood and Flug had every intention of capitalizing on it. 

"That's just... business," Black Hat walked into the building, falling into place beside him, "and you'd do well with more action in your life, doctor." Flug looked at the demon's face at that and when he was met with a cheeky grin, he immediately looked away, blushing. 'Don't', he pleaded with himself. 

"Ah, but I thought you despised petty crime," the doctor responded quickly, praying to whichever Elder God found his existence amusing enough, to save him from Black Hat noticing how flustered his comment made him. They have now reached the elevator, Flug wondering briefly if 5.0.5. will fit inside, before he focused on Black Hat again as the other opened his mouth. 

"I despise when it's the only crime people are willing to commit," his voice took on a harsher tone, and Flug considered his boss' words, wondering what exactly passed as 'petty crime' with him. A fait _ding_ announced the arrival of the elevator and soon its doors opened. They stepped inside, Black Hat levelling 5.0.5. with a hard stare, daring the bear to even brush past him. This scared the animal enough to discard any gratitude he might have held for his creator and choose to squish Flug against the wall, possibly suffocating him, rather than face Black Hat's wrath. This seemed to amuse the demon to no end as he propped himself against the wall, a sickly sweet smile on his face, as he said, "I hope you don't mind, doctor, I do need my space."

"O-oh, not at all, sir!" Flug was quick to respond, adjusting his head, so that he could breathe, "I love being forced against walls!" the scientist heard his boss snort at his feigned enthusiasm. 

Suddenly, they stopped, and when the doors opened again, Flug barely kept himself from tipping and falling face-first on the floor. He staggered a bit before catching himself on a nearby railing. Able to move his body again, he glowered at 5.0.5. shooting him a look of betrayal. Flug didn't know how much of it could be construed due to the bag over his face, but apparently it was enough to make the bear avoid looking at his face. 

"And what happened to _you_?" asked Demencia, jumping down from... _somewhere_ , startling Flug to the point of taking a step back. He glared at her and she just shrugged. "Anyways, I got us some playmates," she started moving towards the gate lit by a neon sign above it. He stole a quick glance at Black Hat, the green light from above accenting the look of pure malice in his eye. Flug found himself admiring how the demon's form seemed to absorb all light, never yielding quite completely to the laws of the dimension he resided in. A few heartbeats passed before it struck him, that yes, he has been ogling at his boss, and that he should probably stop. As he was looking away, he noticed Black Hat observing him with a lone eyebrow raised in contemplation. 

His lips twisted into a full grin, exposing all of his sharp fangs. Flug would describe his expression as that of childlike glee, if there wasn't something far more sinister coiling behind it. Something that Flug could not quite discern. 

Already inside, Demencia stood next to a bundle of gagged security guards, all tied together. Flug counted seven. 5.0.5. made a sound of distress at the fate of these, undoubtedly, innocent men and women. Flug silenced him with a look, not in a mood for another one of Black Hat's rants about the failed experiment. 

"So. I made a few friends while waiting for you guys, and they all **really** insisted on playing with us, and I thought, what the hell, why not?!" she gesticulated wildly while saying that, "right _friends_?" this was directed at the guards and they all nodded frantically. Flug noticed that one of them was crying. It was all very unnecessary and he will have to deal with calming 5.0.5. from nightmares for the next week.

"What do we have here?" Black Hat started circling the unfortunate employees, reminding Flug of predators circling their prey, which, in a way, is exactly what's happening right now. "I see you're all eager to play. I won't have to deal with any one of you being stupid enough to try and escape, I hope," they all nodded again, but this time it was stiff as if they were afraid to make any sudden moves. In a way, Flug understood. He reached towards 5.0.5. and rubbed his arm silently to soothe the bear's nerves. "Grand. Stand up," the guards all followed his order. "Demencia, release them," he ordered again and the lizard girl complied. "We'll play every creature for themselves," he started dictating the rules. 

While the guards latched on every one of Black Hat's words and Demencia finished up on cutting the wire she bounded them with, Flug busied himself by picking out a vest. He supposed it didn't matter that much, but he really wanted to get a blue one. After fishing one out, Flug looked down on his clothes. He will have to take that lab coat off or he'll might as well hold a sign betraying his position. He already shrugged off one arm of his lab coat when he noticed Demencia passing the vest to 5.0.5., the bear staring at her blankly.

"What?" she finally grew impatient, her hand still outstretched. She looked to Flug. "What's up with him, now?" she blurted and the scientist lost it.

"Demencia. He's a bear. He w-wouldn't fit in th-this thing. Besides, he can't play. Look at his hands, D-demencia, how d-do you expect him to play? He's a b-bear, Demencia!" he spluttered while waving his hands wildly around 5.0.5. making his lab coat fall to the ground.

"Yeah, fine, whatever. Just tried to be nice," she rolled her eyes and walked away, tossing the vest in her hands towards the guards. "Get ready, lovelies." 

Flug huffed and observed how the small crowd around Black Hat dispersed, each man looking as if they were on death row. The doctor didn't give it much thought as his gaze wandered towards his boss who also decided to shed his coat. He pulled his hands backwards in a swift motion that emphasized the muscles on his back- Nope! Off to the side, Demencia fanned herself with her hand dramatically and inadvertently his eyes returned to Black Hat's form. His coat nowhere to be found, he was strapping the vest over his lithe body and Flug licked his suddenly dry lips. When he was done, the demon looked up and immediately glared at the leering Demencia. Flug frowned, and it finally dawned on him that he was no better than her. Better late than never, he supposes. 

Scowling at himself, he reached for the blaster and leaned against 5.0.5., the bear embracing him with a happy gurgle. 

"One last thing!" Black Hat exclaimed dramatically, and Flug looked to the guards, feeling a small twinge of pity, when he noticed their terrified expressions and the way they flinched at Black Hat's voice. It was not enough to force him into an internal struggle regarding his villainy, but he genuinely empathized with them, so no one could say he was a heartless monster. "Only the winner survives," Flug wouldn't have paid his boss' announcement any mind, content with reassuring himself of his humanity, if it wasn't for the crazed smile that now graced Black Hat's features. “Those who struggle or try to run away will be my personal gift to Doctor Flug, oh do I know he’s lacking in test subjects.” There was a malicious glint in his eye as he looked to Flug, and the doctor adjusted his grip on the blaster before speaking up.

“I do have some prototypes to t-test out,” he met his boss’ eyes with uncertainty and continued with more force as the demon’s expression egged him on, “and you look like you could hold out for a bit longer than my usual guests.” At that, he let his gaze wander over the group in front of him. 

“GREAT! With that behind us, let me show you the entry,” Demencia suddenly exclaimed and ushered the guards inside. Flug turned to the bear and patted him on the muzzle in a silet apology.

“You’ll have to stay here, buddy. We shouldn’t be long,” he smiled as 5.0.5. gave a noise of understanding. He heard a coughing sound behind him that momentarily brought images varying in their levels of disturbance to his mind. He staggered a bit, surprised. 5.0.5. had concern written all over his face, but Flug waved him away. After what felt as his brain melting and then reforming itself, he turned to face his boss, standing a few feet away with the most complacent grin Flug has ever seen. 

“Game’s starting,” he simply said and started walking where Demencia disappeared a few minutes earlier. Flug quickened his pace to catch up with him and looked to the demon.

“Was that really necessary, boss? H-he’ll be worried now,” Flug muttered wringing his hands together as they neared the entrance. His anxiety was justified as Black Hat’s neck snapped to face him, the motion accompanied by a sickening _crack_ that made his insides curl. 

“I don’t care about what the stupid bear thinks,” he rasped and Flug stopped himself from saying anything else. He liked to think that his sense of self-preservation could kick in at the right moments, usually. “In any case,” he straightened his back, his expression once again neutral, “we’re here for your day-off. You should enjoy yourself,” Black Hat went on and Flug found himself latching onto the tiniest signs of kindness in his words, never able to get enough praise from the demon. 

“I will, sir,” he assured and opened the door for his boss. 

Stepping inside, he let the door click into place on its own, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside. The arena was deathly quiet and Flug could _feel_ Black Hat getting impatient. 

“What are you waiting for? Let’s s͙ t̢͏̘̤̩̻ a̢̟͠͞ ŗ̧̤̗̱̙̞͠ t̡͔̙̕,” he laughed, and Demencia joined in. Flug decided that he'll leave the crazy to the crazy people and leapt further into the dark room, glad to be rid of the unsettling energy emanating from his boss. He heard something to his right and moved toward what he thought to be the source of the sound. He hid behind a convenient wall as he heard footsteps near him. Soon enough he could make out bits of the conversation between two people. 

“...can’t just turn on each other! We shouldn’t give in to-” the woman wildly gesticulated as she spoke, desperate in her attempts to convince her colleague. Flug grinned as he leaned from behind the wall just enough to aim at the man she was speaking to. He fired, successfully hitting the guy and surprising the both of them. He wanted to tag the woman as well, but decided against him when they both turned to him. He ducked behind the wall.

“I’m sorry.”

“Wha-” the woman’s words were cut off by the sound signalling a hit. ‘Wow, drama,’ Flug mouthed to himself and started to inch away from the pair. 

“Only one survives, honey!” the man shouted as he started to run away. The scientist turned around and suddenly there was a flash of neon green to the side. Flug smirked underneath his mask, ‘Time for revenge.’ He creeped up behind Demencia and steadied his hand. He has only one shot, after that he has to hope he’ll be able to hide from her, because he sure as hell won't be able to outrun her. 

He adjusted his blaster one last time and fired. There was a sound of a hit and Demencia stilled. Flug chuckled, before remembering he was supposed to be stealthy. The lizard gir started to turn slowly in his direction, and Flug almost rolled his eyes, ‘why is everyone he knows so damn dramatic?’ 

“Fluggsy!~” she exclaimed and he dashed into the opposite direction from where he came from, going for the other end of the arena. He run for his life, his breath coming out in short rasps as he clutched the blaster close to his chest. He couldn’t stop himself from looking over his shoulder every couple of seconds to check if Demencia was still following him. He stopped when he realized he could see nobody here. Which could mean two things. Either there was no one here or...

He quickly hid behind the closest wall. ‘I need to be more careful,’ he thought as he peaked his head from behind the wall. He cautiously slipped past the open room and leaned against another wall waiting for any sign of movement. After a few more seconds of silence he stepped out of his hideout and took a hesitant step forward. And then another one. He was about to take another step forward and momentarily expose himself to anyone approaching from the opposite direction, when he heard some rustling to his left. He was dragged into the shadows before he could react. Disaster strike 1.  
There was a hand gripping his shoulder as he was pushed against the wall, an anxious glance confirming that, yes, his boss was keeping him pinned to the wall with his arm while trying to see what was happening behind it. A small part of his mind relaxed upon seeing the familiar scowling expression, but a bigger (and probably more reasonable) part of his mind assessed the situation with a drawled "aw shit." Still, he could not stop the flutter in his chest provoked by the demon's proximity to his body. The protective way in which Black Hat hand spanned across his chest made him less jittery. _How strange._

“Jefe-”

“Shh!” Black Hat silenced him and pushed them further into the shadows as a group of guards went past them. Then the demon looked to him with a sly smile, before positioning himself in front of him. The hand on his shoulder coordinating with this movement as Flug was pinned against the wall, once again. 

The gloved hand moved to his neck, lingering there for a moment as if the demon was considering something, before resting against his cheek. Flug felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest, air coming out in short breaths. His bag was lifted off his face, obscuring his vision, but soon it was taken off completely. He didn’t have time to consider Black Hat’s triumphant smile as the demon pressed their lips together. Flug’s whole body jolted before freezing completely. Only when Black Hat moved to break the kiss did Flug realize that normally, people respond to this sort of thing. 

He nibbled at the demons lower lip, before the other could move away completely and suddenly Black Hat pressed his whole body against Flug's, trapping Flug in between him and the wall. Flug opened his mouth, when he felt the demon nip his upper lip. He sighed happily as Black Hat deepened the kiss. It was forceful, violent and sloppy, as if they both tried to sate some intangible hunger buried deep within them.

"Seems like you were telling the truth," Black Hat muttered against his skin, a smirk evident in his voice, as he begun trailing kisses along Flug's jaw. The scientist, not understanding what the demon was referring to, but not really caring either, chose to marvel at the foreign feeling instead. When was the last time he let anyone touch his face, let alone kiss him? When met with no response, Black Hat left a soft bite on Flug’s neck to bring him back from his thoughts. The doctor yelped in surprise, Black Hat hastily moving back to silence the man with kisses. The scientist felt something brush against his chest, and had only a moment to form a question in his mind before he heard a very familiar sound.

It came from his vest. A meek " _you died!_ " followed by ridiculous sci-fi noises. He inferred that he has been shot, when Black Hat abruptly broke their kiss. Flug never hated that smug grin more than in that moment as the demon stepped back and backed away, blowing him a kiss before rounding the corner. The scientist could do nothing, but stare, dumbfounded, after his boss. When he was finally out of his line of sight, Flug groaned and let his face fall into his hands. That’s when he noticed that he still had his face exposed, and he fell to the floor, scrambling for his paper bag and goggles.

He sighed with relief when they were back again on their place. He took three deep breaths and stood up, keeping his blaster ready to strike at anyone (with a clear preference in mind for a _certain_ individual).

~0~ 

5.0.5. nuzzled him happily when he came out of the arena and Flug all but fell into the bear's fur. Black Hat stood a couple of feet away, not paying attention to the scientist, looking as evil as ever. Flug crossed his arms as they waited for Demencia to drag out the crying guards from inside. Flug noticed that there were two unconcious people already laying next to his boss and he assumed that they must have tried to run away. 

“Is it everyone?” asked Black Hat, sounding almost bored.

“Yes, boss,” replied Demencia, all giddy like a child that was about to open their birthday present. 

“Let’s make this a bit more fair,” and the demon’s whole expression suggested that nothing he’s about to say will actually make their situation more fair. “You will have a 30 seconds head start before Demencia hunts you all down. Starting... n̓͐͆̔͛̕ ȯ͛̏ͬ̐ͨͥ ͤ̔͛҉w̽͑ͥ̒͋̐ͥ.” They all bolted in different directions, some off to hide while others went for the stairs. Only one woman remained, trembling terribly, but not daring to move an inch. “The winner?” Black Hat raised an eyebrow at her and she nodded. He sighed as if having her alive was a burden he couldn’t bear. “Do what you want,” with that he motioned to Demencia to come closer and show her the layout of the building once again. 

The last of her group, the woman passed by Flug as she fidgeted towards the stairs.

“I wouldn’t go yet if I were you,” Flug spoke to her, softly, not raising his voice so that his boss won’t hear him. When she looked at him with puzzlement and alarm evident on her face, for the briefest of moments, Flug allowed himself to revel in her fear. He basked in the realization that he was now able to elicit such a reaction. Only then did he explain, “If you go now, Demencia might take you for one of the losers. She can get confused.” He shrugged and the woman paled. She stood next to a wall and slid down until she was sitting. Flug didn’t pay her any mind after that. He idly observed as Demencia jumped on one of the walls and begun scaling it down, probably going for those heading for the main entry first. 

“Flug!” his boss called him over and it was Flug’s turn to feel anxious now as he made his way towards the demon. Is he even going to acknowledge what happened in the arena? Or was it just a ‘distraction’? 

Black Hat put his arm around the scientist’s shoulders as he led him towards the unconscious workers. Flug kept his gaze glued to the ground and then hesitated when they stopped in front of the guards, before looking up at the demon’s face. 

“I’d say today went rather well,” he commented and brought Flug closer in the one-armed embrace. The doctor squeaked, not used to so much affection from his boss. Black Hat sent him a questioning gaze, “Are you... not comfortable?” Flug could detect the smallest hint of uncertainty in his voice, and funnily enough, it made him relax.

“I- uh... yeah, I mean, NO!” he mumbled and cringed internally at how pathetic he must have looked. “I’m just... not used to this? But it’s nice?” he finally managed to say. Black Hat raised his eyebrows at him and there was a quick mischievous glint in his eye as he leaned in and pecked the doctor on the side of his bag. Flug automatically put his arms around the demon. 

“Good,” he concluded, keeping the scientist close to his side as he looked over the guards before them again. “As I was saying, we got you some pets today, so I expect that you’ll be able to speed up your tests. I’ve got new orders already,” Black Hat went on to elaborate on the orders while Flug updated his mental calendar with new deadlines. 

“I should be done with the plasma gun by today, it only needs some final tweaks and-” he stopped when Black Hat gave him a look. “Yes, sir?”

“I thought that you could maybe... erm...” the demon looked frustrated with his own inarticulacy. “I thought I made it clear that you’re to take a day off,” he finally managed, through gritted teeth as if the words were physically hurting him.

“What..? No! Sir, there’s no need! I’m fine, I don’t need a day-” Flug fell silent when Black Hat gave him a sharp look that he interpreted as ‘Are you really going to make me say this?’ Flug was tempted to respond with a ‘yes,’ but he took mercy on his boss. “I guess, I could use a day off, after all...” he murmured and almost snorted at the immediate look of relief on the demon’s face. It was quickly masked with a frown.

“We should go. Demencia’s sure to be done with her distractions for the moment and I don’t want you to chase her around town again,” he growled. Flug understood that as the end of their brief tender moment and motioned for 5.0.5. to start walking towards the stairs. He was not taking the elevator with the bear again. Before he could follow, Black Hat caught his hand. “And stop by my office today. If you have time. It is your day off, so do what you want. But come to my office,” the demon blurted out and Flug found himself enjoying his flustered ramblings. 

“I will,” he assured and started off towards the stairs. Black Hat soon caught up with him and they walked in silence side by side. Their hands brushed while they walked and they both pointedly ignored Demencia’s confused stare as they continued on their way home. 'Huh, no disasters,' Flug thought as he smiled underneath his bag.

**Author's Note:**

> I promise once I have more time to actually look through what I wrote the quality will get better. I love getting feedback, tell me anything you think I could improve upon and if you liked anything, please say something as well!~  
> Find me on tumblr: https://succulentonfire.tumblr.com/


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